Amal Alamuddin: brilliant lawyering and Hollywood star power may help Arroyo’s plight

Self-proclaimed “Oprah Winfrey of the Philippines” and presidential sister Kris Aquino may be given a run for the money if reports that brilliant international human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin will take up the case of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (GMA).

International human rights lawyer Amal Alamuddin is also George Clooney’s fiancee.Arroyo is currently detained on charges of plunder and has remained under hospital arrest for months as the government of Philippine President Benigno Simeon “BS” Aquino III scrounges around for scraps of evidence to work with in its desperate efforts to build the substance of these charges. Alamuddin is the fiancee of hollywood megastar George Clooney. As such, her involvement with Arroyo promises to bring to bear Clooney’s awesome star power even as she applies her track record as a successful human rights attorney.

The story of Alamuddin’s interest in Arroyo’s plight first broke in Philippine Star columnist Carmen Pedrosa’s piece Hollywood meets human rights; Amal takes up FPGMA’s case. According to Pedrosa, Alamuddin had indicated in a brief conversation that Arroyo’s case could be brought before a United Nations court “if there is reason”.

Following that discussion, Alamuddin subsequently got in touch with Pedrosa again on the matter and swung by Manila for a quick visit. Pedrosa writes of the outcome of that visit…

By the time [Alamuddin] was on her way to London she committed to help former President Arroyo by advising her on her rights under international law. This was not about power politics but about human rights and every individual was entitled to it, she said.

This will be a much-needed boost to the fortunes of Arroyo who, it seems, is being detained on the basis of charges that are unlikely to fly, many of which have already been dismissed…

If BS Aquino can’t get GMA on vote rigging, he will try her on plunder again and again. Along with some people involved with Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) during GMA’s term, a case was filed against her for the allegedly conspiring to pocket intelligence and confidential funds of the PCSO amounting to some P365 million. Unfortunately, the main witness admitted that there is no solid proof to link GMA and her co-accused to the allegedly plundered public funds. The incompetence in BS Aquino’s administration is very evident. I’m surprised no heads have rolled.

The response from Malacanang was predictable. Presidential Communications Operations Office Secretary Sonny Coloma issued a statement highlighting that it is “a matter of duty on the part of the administration to ensure that no law is violated,” referring to questions raised on whether the manner with which Arroyo has been treated by the government of President BS Aquino since he assumed power did violate her rights. Coloma insists that “there is no ill will toward the former President and we are simply following the processes of law.”

Strangely, a certain Luz Ilagan party-list representative of the communist-sympathising “women’s issues” group Gabriela warned Alamuddin to respect Philippine Law; “Otherwise, her actions might be construed as interventionist”. A strange position to take by a representative of a group affiliated with a movement renowned for its singular objective of overthrowing legitimate democratic governments through violent revolution.

The government of President BS Aquino has long used popular celebrities as key pillars of its power base. Chief amongst these celebrities is presidential sister Kris Aquino, so-called “Queen of All Philippine Media” and one of the most revered showbiz personalities in the Philippines. The million-dollar question may come down to whose celebrity will hook the most Filipinos, Clooney’s or Kris’s if it comes down to a tele-showdown. Then again, that won’t really matter if the case, with Alamuddin’s help, could be brought to courts not infected by the disease that is Philippine politics.

Kris Aquino dominates the TV, because she is greedy for fame…I think her sexual prowess is known thruout the world, also…The Aquinos thrive on Myth and fame… Aquino himself is a plunderer…look at his Pork Barrel scam…it is now like a thief judging a thief…look at the family’s greed of land, like the Hacienda Luisita, that they scammed from the Filipino people. The leftist NPA (communist front) was a creation of the late, Benigno Aquino II. It is his strategic political tool. Can you see, the self proclaimed NPA Supremo: Jose Maria Sison, has no statement on the mistakes of… Read more »

Question:How do you know a Filipino Politician is a lying? Answer: When their lips are moving. This is just another scam, the woman, who will never spend a day in a real jail cell is a scam artist. Unless this woman is not the same woman who is married to the guy who sold used helicopters back to the Filipino tax-payers as new, she is guilty. The problem will be that ,like her sleazy-ass husband, she knew exactly how to cover her tracks. The poor Failed state that is the PHAIL-ippines is just fucked. Over 5 yrs. later, the Amputuans,who… Read more »

In a KSP culture, you wonder if the chattering crowd will be interested in Amal Alamuddin because of her work as a human rights lawyer or because they want to gossip about her wedding to George Clooney.

I know my comment here is somehow not related to the article but since benignO started the article with the idiot Kris Aquino, I just need to say this. Is there any way these stupid Aquinos can shut up? First, we have the older idiotic brother (I have too much respect for the retarded ones. B– S— Aquino, our idiotic president, does not deserve to be called retarded!) Second, we have his lunatic sister that’s invading and dumbing down our media. Is there really hope for us? Wake up, Philippines! For those who will even attempt to tell me to… Read more »

A new way to beat the charges? throw the case to an International court, the U.N..Never mind that ‘HUMAN RIGHTS’ is not even what the Woman is facing in the Fail-ippines. It would be a classic STRAWMAN defense that would relieve the current government of all culpability of complicity to let the ‘Li’l girl’ off, and also it would not have to insult the citizens with yet another SHAMBOLIC ‘committe/blue-ribbon panel’ farce.The ‘Li’l girl/Woman’ then walks away with her CA$H/HOMES/PRIZES and GIFTS and all the rest of the crooks say what great jobs they did. Filipino’s are just stupid enough… Read more »

I wouldn’t be surprised if Filipinos would care more about George Clooney than a human rights lawyer. The fact that the national pastime of this nation (tsismis) is enough proof. And it’s no doubt the biased media will sensationalize news like this once again.

Just a minor correction: Amal Alammudin is now, Amal Clooney. She’s the wife -not the fiancee- of Hollywood star George Clooney. ———————————————- In Gloria Arroyo’s case, I believe the Aquino administration has gone beyond the borders of justice. Regardless of Arroyo’s corruption case, she is still human. Now that she is no longer in power, it’s time that the government should start treating her as a Filipino citizen and honor her rights as a human being. Everyone can see the deteriorating health of the former president. Her life is in apparent danger. Politics or otherwise, it is inhumane to intentionally… Read more »